Lake County taking part in new program for some child abuse investigations (video)

Lake County plans to begin a new approach when it comes to the investigation of potential cases of less serious child abuse or neglect.

The county Job and Family Services Department hosted a community breakfast Wednesday with JFS officials from the state and the American Humane Association to discuss the county's inclusion in the Differential Response program.

Lake County will participate in the new program based on a results from a successful pilot project and will join with 39 other counties in the state, said county JFS Director Matthew Battiato.

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"Being chosen as a pilot county for the Differential Response program is a wonderful opportunity for Lake County Job and Family Services to provide child protective services to the community in a way that eliminates some of the barriers that are inherent with a traditional response," Battiato said.

Differential Response gives social workers the freedom to use an alternative approach when investigating some reports of child abuse and neglect. The concept aims to keep families together and reduce the number of children placed in out-of-home care without compromising child safety.

Differential Response begins with a non-threatening, non-adversarial family assessment that allows social workers to guide the family to local social service programs that might meet the child's and family's needs, Battiato said.

In some cases and those that involve suspected physical harm or sexual abuse, a traditional child-protection response is needed to ensure a child's safety.

Carla Carpenter, Differential Response manager for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said the program transforms the front door of child protective services in Ohio and the country.

"It fundamentally changes the way public children services do business," Carpenter said. "The way we engage family and it moves us away from a one-size-fits-all investigative mandate."

She said it will allow for more flexibility that can be tailored to meet the individual needs of families that need attention.

René King is the Differential Response manager for the Washington, D.C.-based American Humane Association, an organization that works with Ohio.

"We have embraced the idea that we have to build safety through engagement," King said. "That is a different concept that we have to tap into family resources and we have to partner with our community resources in a different way."

Reports from other counties that use Differential Response show there is increased satisfaction by parents, children and caseworkers, Battiato said.

The program saves taxpayer dollars because it leads to fewer subsequent referrals of abuse and neglect and to fewer out-of-home placements, he said.